Railroad-switch



(No Model.) A. HARLEY.

v RAILROAD $WITGH. No. 254,008. V Patented Feb. 21,1882.

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Nrren STATES 'ATENT Orrica ARGHIBALD HARLEY, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS.

RAILROAD-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 254,008, dated February 21, 1882,

Application filed December 15, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AROHIBALD HARLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing-at Topeka, in the county of Shawnee and State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvemen ts in Railroad-Switches, of which the following is aspecification. 1

My improvement in railroad-switch l'evers consists, first, in the combination, with theswiteh-rod,ofaverticalswingingjointedswitchlever, pivoted atitslowcr orinnercnd,theupper part of said'j ointed switch-lever being adapted to be swung down and secured to a supporting-standard of the apparatus after the lower part of the switch-lever has been brought into a vertical position; second, in the combination, in a railroad switch-stand, of thevibratory jointed switch-lever for operating the switchrod with the standards between which the switch-rod is pivoted, one of these standards having its upper end formed with a mortise to receive the upper part of the switch-lever when said part is swung down to a horizontal position, suitable openings being formed through the switch-lever and the mortised standard for receiving a locking-pin; third, in the combination, in a railroad-switch stand, of two standards with a jointed switchlever pivoted between them, upright arms secured at the sides of the apparatus for engaging the switchlever when it is turned down to the right or to thefleft, a jointed locking-pin for securingthe switch-lever in'either of the three positions hereinafter described, and a padlock for engaging the locking-pin. 7

1n the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of the apparatus with the switch-lever turned down and locked. Fig. 2 is a side elevation with the switch-lever raised and locked.

taken which is in rigid connection with said lever,

will rotate about its axis, and thus turn the crank-arm and move the SWitvlHOd so as to shift the switch up to or away from the main track, as the case may be.

I have made provision in this apparatus for holding and locking the switch-rod and switch in three distinct positions. This is accomplished by the following means: When the switch-lever is turned so as to bring it into a vertical position between the two standards the upper part of said levercan be swung downward into a mortise, E, that is formed in the upper end of one of the standards. When said upper part of the switch-lever is thus rested horizontally in the seat or mortise of the standard the inner end of said part of the lever will project to some extent out from the mortise, which is at the joint of the two partsof the switch-lever. To provide room for this pro jecting inner end of part B of the switch-lever,

The switch-rod D connects with and at the same time to render the apparatus f as compact as possible, I form in the inner side I of one of the standards a recess, F, whichreceives the said projecting end of the lever when the part B is swung down into a horizontal position,justdeseribed. Tonow hold the switchlever in place I pass a jointed locking-pin, G, through holes in the switch-lever and the mortised upper end of the standard, and to secure the jointed locking-pin so that it cannot be accidentally or surreptitiously removed I provide a padlock, H, which can be locked onto the perforated point of the locking-pin. In

this way the head at one end and the padlock" at the other end of the locking-pin preventthe withdrawal of the same from the switch-lever and standard. To prevent the padlock and the pin from being lost or taken away I can connect them by chains with one of the standards. The switch-and the switch-rodare brought into either of two other positions, lifting the outer end of the switch-lever from the mortise in the standard, and thereby straightening out the switch-lever, and then swinging the same down to the right or tholeft of the standards. hen the inner part, B, of the switch lever is thus swung down to a horizontal position the crankarm upon its fulcrum-pin will be brought into a like position, and to hold the switch-lever down I provide the curved upright arms I I, located at the opposite sides of the fulcrumpin of the switch-lever.

A mortise, K, is formed through the inner part of the switch-lever, of suificient size to receiveeitherof the uprightarmsl when thelever is swung down in the manner last described. The npperend of each one of these arms has a perforation for the passage of the locking-pin, so that. when the switch-lever is turned down by the switchman to the right or to the left one of the arms will pass through the mortise of the lever and project up above the same, so that the locking-pi n can be passed through the perforation of the arm, and thereby hold the lever down. The padlock can then be applied to the locking-pin, as before described.

By the above construction and arrangement of parts a positive movement ofthe switch-rod is efl'ected without any lost motion.

The base-rests for the switch-lever when it is turned down to the right or the left, the mortise or seat in the upper end of one of the standards, and the throw of the crank-arm are all so arranged that when the switch-lever is brought into position for switching the several rails will properly match.

Instead of forming the standards separately, it is obvious that they could be united at their lower ends by a common flange or base-plate; and it will also be obvious that in lieu of employing a pivot for connecting the two parts of the switch-lever together, an ordinary leafhinge could be used for such purpose.

The outer end ot' an arm that may be applied to one end, I), of the fulcrum-pin B can be provided with any appropriate signal, so that the engineer of an approaching train can readily determine the position of the switch.

Prior to this invention arailroad-switch mechanism has been provided with a vertical shaft arranged to rotate about its axis and operated to move the switch tracks or rails that are connected by a rod or bar with a crank upon the lower end of said shaft by means of jointed horizontal handle having its outer weighted end adapted to be dropped into grooves formed in an elevated support or table; but in my apparatus the jointed lever is mounted upon its lower end upon a short horizontal shaft or pivot, which occupies but little space, and in swinging the jointed lever in a vertical plane I am enabled to obtain greater leverage than if the handle were connected with a vertical rotary shaft, unless the handle attached to said vertical shaft were made quite long, which would be objectionable. In another instance a single lever has been pivoted at its lower end and a hook arranged upon the base of the apparatus in position to engage with a spring-catch carried by the swinging lever. Such device, however, lacks the feature of thejointed lever and the means hereinbefore described for engaging the outer sec tion of the lever when its inner section is in a vertical position, and means for engaging the lower or inner section of thejointed lever when said lower or inner section has been swung down. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination, in a railroad-switch, ot' the switch-rod with a vertical]y-swingingjointed switch-lever, pivoted at the inner end oi. its lower section, the upper part of said jointed switch-lever being adapted to be swung down and secured to a supporting-standard ot' the apparatus after the lower part of said lever has been brought into a vertical position, substantiall y as described.

2. The combination, in a railroad-switch, of the vibratory jointed switch-lever for operating the switelrrod with the standards between which the switch-lever is pivoted, one of these standards having its upper end formed with a mortise to secure the upper part of the switchlever when said part is swung down to a horizontal position, suitable openings being formed through the switch-lever and the mortised standard forreceivingthe locking-pin, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination, in a railroad-switch, of the standards A with the jointed switch-lever pivoted between said standards, the arms I, the jointed locking-pin, and the padlock, the upper part of the jointed switch-lever being adapted to be secured by the locking-pin in a mortise in one of the standards when the lower part of said lever is brought into a vertical position, and the arms I being each adapted to receive the locking-pin, so that alter the switchlever has been turned down and either arm received in the mortise of the switch-lever the pin can be engaged with the arm and secured by the padlock, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AROHIBALD HARLEY.

Witnesses:

GEORGE \VRIGHT, JAN RAMSBERGER.

ICC

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